Alucinor
Alucinor You probably haven’t seen me watching while you sleep, but you fear me when you’re awake. In those moments between slumber and awareness, when you’re paralyzed by all the hidden things around you, before they resolve into the mundane. The rapacious, cannibalistic nature of Kindred lends them a nightmarish quality in fiction, but the Alucinor reside within those horrid dreams. This is not to say that they are nothing more than figments of imagination. Rather, the Alucinor have a powerful sensitivity to dreams and nightmares. While the potent psyche of the Beast allows some Kindred to invade the minds of mortals, the mind of a “Sandman” roams the dreams of other beings, collecting imagery and sometimes encroaching on mortal slumber with a restless, crawling sense of horror. While evidence points to the foundation of the Alucinor sometime around A.D. 450, the bloodline has always remained small in numbers. For the most part, Sandmen have remained behind the scenes, using their curious oneiromancy to advise Princes or embarrass enemies. The most prominent, recent and known Alucinor appearance focused on one Ariadne Metaxas, a Greek Cypriot Mekhet, who created a stir in 1931 when she evidenced the unusual capabilities of the line. She was alleged to have sent dream-images to several of Paris’ established Kindred before she arrived at her first salon in the city, conveying a recognizable image of herself before they’d ever met. Ultimately, Metaxas proved to be little more than a social butterfly who’d attuned herself to the Blood after a series of haunting dreams. By 1935, she succumbed to increasingly traumatic nightmares. After becoming little more than a shattered husk of her former self, obsessed with the then-nascent writings of Carl Jung, she disappeared from the social scene. Sightings of Alucinor have remained uncommon since. Perhaps a dozen have made their way through American cities in the last decade. Alucinor generally fall into one of two social categories: those whose obsession with dreams leads them into inward-focused detachment, and those who retain a keen insight into others’ psyches. The former rarely interact with other vampires, shunning contact because the fever- dreams of torporous Kindred often convey powerful, terrifying imagery. The latter tend to be hangers-on at courts, using their peculiar insights to play on the hidden fears and desires of the undead. More than one Alucinor has parlayed her visions into a useful advisory position, educating a Prince or elder about his enemies in exchange for protection and favors. Even more so than most Mekhet, the Alucinor have a bent for prophecy. Their ability to interpret stolen dreams gives members of the line an edge in fathoming the hidden motives of mortals and Kindred. Overexposure to others’ dreams can cause problems, though. Alucinor suffer from occasional intrusions of dreams into their waking moments. Their own nightmares can also warp due to the influence of strong emotions from other sleepers, causing them to experience false memories. Much like Kindred who spend too much time in torpor, Alucinor can be uncertain of what memories are fact and what are imagined. Sandmen who become highly attuned to dreams are often withdrawn and cryptic, given to conclusions based less on logic than on hallucinatory insight. Most fear torpor and the inevitable nightmares that it portends. On one recent occasion, an exclamatory Alucinor demanded audience at a Kindred gathering in order to give dire predictions based on the hidden tensions of the city’s political elite. His warnings proved at least partially correct. He suffered Final Death within a week when a particularly torrid nightmare gripped him and sent him sleepwalking during the day. Parent Clan: Mekhet Nickname: Sandmen Covenant Those Alucinor who focus on dream symbolism tend to avoid the social trappings of Kindred society and remain nominally unbound. Nevertheless, the Kindred need for social acclaim (or the pressure of politics) sometimes drives a Sandman into sporadic contact with certain others. The Ordo Dracul has the most contact with the Alucinor. The Order goes out of its way to puzzle out occult symbols in Alucinor dreams, while Sandmen appreciate the society’s focus on exploring the mysteries of the vampiric condition. Members of the Ordo Dracul suspect that Alucinor attunement to dreams may reflect a higher level of consciousness, and could be a stepping stone in the process of relieving the undead condition. Some Princes of Carthian or Invictus bent seek the Alucinor out for their insights into the Kindred psyche, a role that the unscrupulous Sandman may even relish. Line members who don’t eschew society often fall into one of these camps, because resultant political contacts are useful in night-to-night survival. The worldly focus of both covenants also helps to ground the Alucinor in affairs of the present. At least one line member has taken his dreams as divine messages and sought out membership in the Lancea Sanctum. The Spear as a whole has not yet decided whether the Alucinor are touched by holy insight or haunted by demons. Nevertheless, a significant faction argues that Alucinor dreams may be a sign of divine inspiration, or possibly visions of Heaven and Hell, so they merit further investigation. The Circle of the Crone sees Alucinor insight as a feminine aspect, but the bloodline itself is equally composed of males and females, and the Sandmen generally have no special interest in the philosophies of Acolytes in any case. Some Alucinor believe the Circle may have a means to control nightmares, and seek out that information, but Kindred occultism being as jealously guarded as it is, no remedies have been revealed. Appearance Although young line members tend to dress in a manner suited to the time of their Embrace, the toll of an existence half-dominated by fantasy and whimsy causes them to become eccentric over time. New Alucinor favor tasteful, relaxed clothes from the mortal world. Eventually, the pressures of nightmares cause these undead to develop a distracted air. They give up on following kine fashions, instead becoming stuck in the same styles they wore when they joined the bloodline. Some go so far as to eschew care for their appearance completely, becoming haggard and unkempt. Alucinor who delve deeply into Insomnium sometimes become so distanced from their physical states that they wear only tattered nightgowns, worn-out ensembles or threadbare antiques, perceiving the physical world as somehow less real than their own dreams. Sandmen who remain tied to Kindred politics favor the dark, forbidding attire more common to the Mekhet in general. Haven: Young and old Alucinor alike prefer secure, secretive lairs where they can conduct their studies of psychology in seclusion. For Alucinor with a bent toward politics, this means a compound in the city, usually in an academic, upper-class location. A few Alucinor even take up residence as “permanent guests” with their patrons. Sandmen who eschew politics gravitate toward rural estates, where they can avoid dealing with other Kindred. Rustic Sandmen focus ever more deeply on peeling back layers of meaning from their odd visions. Alucinor are as likely as any other Kindred to have (or not have) various servants in their homes. Most line members avoid using traps or heavy security; a single hallucinatory episode might be enough to kill oneself in one’s own haven. Background The Alucinor bloodline has no moratorium on membership; Mekhet become Sandmen by personal predilection rather than by some sort of initiation. Exact membership numbers are impossible to determine, as the Alucinor would never congregate as a whole. Rather, they tend to spring from Mekhet who have an attraction to symbolism. Those who give themselves over to fantasies, flights of fancy or twisted imaginings. Alucinor often quest for the cryptic meaning hidden in some form of art, whether by seeking the underpinnings of James Joyce’s writing, by searching for connections to reality in Salvador Dali’s paintings, or by whispering prayers to every Catholic saint over a reliquary saved from destruction during the Dark Ages. These perlustrations through abstraction can lead to insight or madness. A vampire, whatever his reason to attune to the bloodline, tends to become consumed with symbolism to the point of losing functionality. For most would-be Alucinor, this is simply a journey into understanding a greater aspect of their own nature and subconscious urges. When an Alucinor creates a new Kindred (a rare event), the convert is as likely as not to go his own way. Choices of progeny can range from the lures that attract normal vampires — utility, sensuality, camaraderie — to esoteric choices based on a moment of symbolism. Childer are not coerced into joining the lineage, although those who go out of their way to direct their blood in a different direction generally drift away from their sires. Outsider Mekhet who force themselves into alignment with the lineage may garner some degree of scorn or respect, depending on their approach. Those who don’t appreciate the significance of dream interpretation are often rebuffed, on the rare occasion of a bloodline meeting. Character Creation Most Alucinor are startlingly insightful, although the practicality of their erudition is another matter. As questers seeking self-knowledge and understanding of symbols, line members usually have sharp, intuitive minds. Mental Attributes tend to be high, with Social Attributes well-rounded and Physical Attributes ranging from frail to average. Many Alucinor have a low Resolve, though, stemming from their inability to separate fact from fancy. The Alucinor also tend to rely on Mental and Social Skills, while Physical Skills atrophy to rudimentary levels. Alucinor who’ve been around for any length of time often invest a great deal of effort into supporting a proper Haven, so that they can remain closeted away in safety. Bloodline Disciplines Auspex , Celerity , Insomnium, Obfuscate Weakness: Strange dreams and nightmares also trouble an Alucinor with every day of corpse-like rest. Over time, these visions intrude on the vampire’s waking hours. Sandmen sometimes have difficulty remembering whether a particular trauma was real or just a hallucination. An Alucinor never regains Willpower as a result of a day’s sleep. The vampire can also have difficulty distinguishing whether she is currently awake or asleep and dreaming. One scene per chapter (game session), the Storyteller may inject a piece of delusion into the Alucinor’s experiences, such as an overheard snatch of conversation that doesn’t seem real, or a brief glimpse of an event that may or may not actually happen. These hallucinations rarely last more than a few seconds and usually inject only a single object or phrase into the Alucinor’s mind. When they happen, however, all rolls made for the character suffer a –1 penalty for the remainder of the scene. From time to time, Alucinor also experience bits of dreams creeping into their conscious moments as a side effect of the Insomnium Discipline, which can lead to even further confusion. Not even powers such as Auspex help alleviate this problem (the subject’s mind excels at tricking itself, after all). Organization: There’s no organization to the Alucinor beyond their shared connection to dreams. Of course, Sandmen in reasonably close proximity become aware of one another quickly; use of the most basic Insomnium powers can let them sense the mélange of dreams that afflict any of their own kind. The Alucinor are probably one of the few bloodlines with a motive to actively discourage interaction with others of their blood. These vampires dislike being reminded of their particular burden, and tend to be embittered when forced into the company of others who represent their own shortcomings. Even Alucinor sires and childer tend to become estranged after a short time. Concepts Dreamtime shaman, Emissary to Changelings, information broker, lunatic, political analyst, oracle, psychologist, sleep therapist, surrealist artist Known Alucinor History In spite of the Alucinor low profile until 1931, their history reaches back much further. Unreliable but recurring nightmares in the lineage suggest that the line founder was female, and she diablerized a much older vampire some time during the era of the Roman Empire. The imprint of the elder’s personality permanently twisted the psyche of the then-fledgling, leaving her sensitive to others’ strong emotions and personalities while she slept. A few Alucinor even speculate that the diablerized elder’s personality has fragmented and resides in every Alucinor, emerging during slumber to look for tiny pieces of dreams that remind it of its former self. Since the founder remains hidden away, the brood uses the name Alucinor from the Latin term for the world of dreams. No other proper name is known. Legend aside, the Alucinor definitely predate the modern era. The effects of their Insomnium Discipline may contribute to medieval stories of succubi. (Indeed, the Lancea Sanctum is quick to caution that this possible influence reinforces the possibility of demonic influence in the bloodline.) During the Renaissance, when artists called upon Muses and dreams for inspiration, the Alucinor may have had a hand in some of the disturbing (and later surreal) art that came out of the period. If there is a founder from ancient times, her actual identity remains shrouded. Ariadne Metaxas supposedly aligned herself to the lineage after several months of communion in dreams, chasing after a barely visible image of an androgynous figure. This figure, presumably the line’s progenitor, has never been met in person in the modern age — at least, as far as anyone knows. Alucinor who commit diablerie reportedly suffer intense nightmares in which a shrouded figure beckons to them, accusingly or hungrily. It is even remotely possible that the first Alucinor has herself become nothing more than a roaming nightmare, limited to communion with her line through rare glimpses into their sleeping psyches. Alucinor history in Kindred society primarily concerns the few who sell their services for political gain. This practice gives the Alucinor something of a mercenary reputation. As far as anyone knows, there has never been an Alucinor Prince, but there have been multiple Alucinor advisors to the throne. Society and Culture The Alucinor lack a coherent organization of their own. They usually retain their mortal habits and dress for a time, those behaviors falling away until only bits and pieces are left and a line member cannot even remember why they were important. Each Alucinor’s outlook on society, mores and personal morality is therefore an unconscious amalgamation of her mortal experiences, her vampiric urges, and the jarring images that lurk in her dreams. The danger of running afoul of another Alucinor in dreams means that the Sandmen tend to give one another a wide berth. THE DREAM DANCE Thanks to hallucinations brought on by waking dreams, Alucinor sometimes experience “events” that aren’t real, or misremember events in twisted ways. Ultimately, the burden is upon the player to portray the unique flaw of the bloodline, but players who insist on refusing to do so should certainly suffer its effects by Storyteller decree — and chronically. Alucinor can, after all, be victimized while asleep by the Insomnium powers of other Sandmen, or caused to misremember crucial facts. Since the Storyteller is the only arbiter on what any given character sees and hears, she can selectively edit a character’s experiences. Maybe a line member can puzzle out what’s true or false with enough reasoning and careful records, but who’s to say that some cherished memory isn’t anything more than a fantasy? This weakness could be handled as something like the Amnesia Flaw (World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 218), but without any experience point rewards for portraying the trait. Insomnium The signature Discipline of the Alucinor indicates not sleeplessness, but rather the tendency of dreams to intrude upon the Sandmen, even while they’re awake. The Alucinor wield a subtle power over dreams, but this subtlety also means that it is sometimes impossible to determine what effects, if any, a given manifestation of Insomnium may take. Like dreams themselves, effects of the Discipline are often transitory and ephemeral. Even an Alucinor of immense Blood Potency can rarely exert fine control. The elder’s powers have sublime influence on his consciousness, instead. Of course, the Alucinor ability to manipulate sleep and dreams has its shortcomings. Insomnium cannot change one’s own dreams; a Sandman can reach out to tug at another’s dream and give it a specific tenor, but she remains the servant of her own terrors when trapped in a personal nightmare. • Dreams of the Many The first sign of alignment with Alucinor blood is manifestation of this basic capability of the Insomnium Discipline.The vampire becomes attuned to the dreams of people around her. Since the Alucinor is generally active at night, the dreams of mortals are a constant, subconscious flood, one that is usually ignored. Other vampires tend to weave dark dreams from their own personal vices, and these can impact an Alucinor during daily sleep. A line member is especially sensitive to dreams of her own lineage, their visions seeming to merge into powerful nightmares. While the pressure of outside dreams is usually a mere distraction, an Alucinor can also pull bits of emotion from them. By concentrating on the fleeting impressions left by dreams, the vampire can discern useful information or gather currents of thought from nearby sleepers. The mind defends itself, however, even while subjects sleep; deciphering the dreams of individuals with great mental fortitude can be a challenge. An Alucinor can attune to dreams of only people who are asleep, and only to those within a number of miles equal to the character’s Insomnium dots (which is the range for all the powers of this Discipline). As with all vampiric capabilities, this range is subject to vagaries. On rare occasions, an Alucinor may fail to notice the blissful slumber of someone nearby, or may sense the anguish of a powerful dream from a greater distance. Gazing into the Dreams of the Many does nothing to give a character a sense of a subject’s location. The Sandman simply “swims” through a sea of dreams until he finds pieces of identity that conform to his notion of the desired subject. On some occasions, an Alucinor even gleans bits of prophetic insight from collective dreams. Although swimming through dreams requires nothing more than a few moments of concentration, many Alucinor find it helpful to hold and caress an item of some value to an intended subject. A favored childhood doll, a vial of Vitae or some similarly personal memento can act as a focus that aids in chasing down the dreams of an individual. Cost: 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Reading the dreams of others uses Wits + Empathy + Insomnium versus the subject’s Resolve + Blood Potency. Oneiromancy (see below) uses Wits +Occult + Insomnium. Action: Dream-reading is contested; resistance is reflexive. Oneiromancy is instant. Roll Results Dramatic Failure: Pieces of dreams wash over the Alucinor’s mind, causing hallucinations and figments of imagination. These hallucinations may include strange noises, changes in scenery, distant voices or other haunting effects. All rolls involving Resolve or Composure suffer a –1 penalty for the remainder of the scene. Multiple dramatic failures in the same scene cause a cumulative penalty, as your character becomes more and more absorbed in fantasy. Failure: Your character loses or ties the contested roll. He senses only incoherent babble from the subconscious minds of the world’s sleepers. A successive attempt may be possible at the expense of more Willpower. Success: Your character wins the contested roll. The Alucinor garners a symbolic moment from the dreams observed, briefly stealing a glimpse of the deeply held feelings of the subject. Your character may learn of an item or person of value to the subject, or of a hidden fear. The Storyteller decides what is seen and what significance it holds. In practical terms, you gain a +1 bonus on Social rolls in regard to the subject for the next month. This bonus is not cumulative for multiple successful uses of the power. Alternatively, the Alucinor may simply sift through the tide of dreams, gleaning insight into the future. Interpretation is often difficult, but it sometimes gives a startlingly clear image of some upcoming event. Performing this sort of “oneiromancy” grants a re-roll on any one dice pool for the remainder of the night. No more than one re-roll can be achieved per night. Exceptional Success: Peering into the subject’s innermost fears or desires, your character immediately learns one of the subject’s Virtue, Vice, Morality or Humanity score, or that the subject is a diablerist (your choice). Repeated applications of the power and repeated exceptional successes in a single month do not allow other pieces of information to be learned. If the Alucinor applies Dreams of the Many as a prelude to using a greater Insomnium power on the subject, a +1 bonus is also gained on the activation roll of that power, as long as it is within a month. No more than a single +1 bonus is gained to other activation rolls against a target. An Alucinor who swims the sea of dreams is still aware of her own surroundings. If she performs an action aside from meddling in dreams, the connection to her subject is broken immediately. Suggested Modifiers Modifier Situation +2 Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (Vampire, p. 162) +1 The Alucinor holds an item of special significance to the subject –1 The Alucinor does not know, has never seen or has never met the subject –1 The Alucinor cannot see the subject when the power is used •• Lucid Dreaming With this power, an Alucinor learns to apply her will to others’ dreams. The vampire can determine their course or be a primary participant in them. Of course, this is all merely a matter of changing a subject’s imaginary world, but it can still have profound effects, whether by sending messages, creating nightmares or simply disorienting the subject is his waking hours. Before manifesting in the dreams of another, an Alucinor must first sense the subject through use of Dreams of the Many. After a successful attunement, the Sandman can exert pressure to change those dreams. In almost every case, the vampire herself makes a fleeting appearance in the dreams at the time of the change. This appearance is usually subtle; dreamers may experience oddities in the landscape, the sudden appearance of a strange animal or person, or an unrecognized item — most often, this is something that has significance to the Alucinor in question. Many Sandmen take on certain “signature” themes and use them repeatedly when communicating through or haunting a subject’s visions. The strange dream-appearance of an albino cat or the recurring vision of an ancient ceremonial glaive need not be simple coincidence. Some old vampires who have suffered the ravages of torpor whisper that the Alucinor use this power to manipulate the nightmares of slumbering Kindred. By repeating false scenes over and over again, elders claim, bloodline members can cause other vampires to come to unrealistic conclusions about their past, accentuating the effects of torporous hallucinations. If the Alucinor have any motive in doing so, it remains a mystery. Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge + Insomnium versus subject’s Resolve + Blood Potency Action: Extended and contested, resistance is reflexive (a number of successes is required for each party equal to the opponent’s Willpower dots; each rolls represents one turn) Roll Results Dramatic Failure: All accumulated successes are lost by the Alucinor. Nightmarish images flirt with the vampire’s waking senses and cause distraction, fear and paranoia. The Alucinor suffers a –1 penalty to rolls involving Resolve or Composure for the remainder of the night.Multiple dramatic failures with this power in the same night cause a cumulative penalty, as your character becomes more and more absorbed in fantasy. A dramatic failure rolled for the subject automatically awards the Alucinor with successful application of the power, regardless of how many successes have been accumulate for him. Failure: No successes are accumulated at this time. The Alucinor is not yet able to guide the dreams of the subject. Success: Successes are gathered or the number required to overcome is accumulated. If the subject wins, the power has no effect. If the Alucinor wins, he makes a subtle change to the subject’s dream. The Sandman can pick one element and add or change it in subtle way. For example, the sky might suddenly become overcast or dozens of feline eyes might peer out from the dark corners of the dream. The Alucinor’s control is not great enough to cause radical alterations, such as turning an otherwise normal daytime sky into a green pastiche, or setting the entire dream in a raging bonfire. Alternatively, the Alucinor could intentionally interject herself or some item or creature of significance to her (any item connected to her or to one of her derangements, Merits or Flaws would be appropriate). The Alucinor can choose to exert a direct message of three words while in the dream, whether by speaking or writing. Symbolic messages, such as appearing as a black cat to suggest bad luck, have no such limit on size, although they’re open to interpretation thereafter. Effects wrought in a dream persist until the dream ends or for a number of turns equal to the vampire’s Insomnium dots, whichever comes first. Because dreams leave only fleeting memories, a Wits + Investigation roll may be required for the subject to fully remember what happened. The subject certainly remembers the Alucinor’s appearance on an exceptional success (even if the Alucinor did not intend to be recognizable). The Alucinor can also cause a sudden start that immediately awakens the subject (although it cannot awaken a vampire in torpor). Attempts to influence the subject can alter the subject’s mood and cause an uncanny sense of déjà vu that grants a +1 bonus or –1 penalty on the next degeneration roll made for the subject. Exceptional Success: Major headway is made toward achieving or defying influence. Or, five or more successes are gathered than needed for the power to take effect (or to resist the vampire’s efforts). The Alucinor takes firm control of the dream and can reshape elements of it in prominent ways. This could mean changing the existence of gravity, removing a person from a sequence, or suddenly transposing the dreamer into a new scene. If the Alucinor chooses to insert herself in the dream imagery, she can deliver any message she desires in that time (a paragraph of useful information is possible, but a lengthy dissertation would not be). Whether the subject remembers it all correctly or acts upon it is another matter. By twisting a dream in unpleasant ways, an Alucinor can also temporarily cause the subject great discomfort. She inflicts the Phobia or Paranoia derangement, which persists until the subject sleeps again the next night (or day for another vampire). An Alucinor who influences the dream of another is still aware of her own surroundings. If she performs an action aside from meddling in a dream, the connection to her subject is broken immediately. Suggested Modifiers Modifier Situation +2 Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (Vampire, p. 162) +1 An exceptional success was recently achieved in a previous use of Dreams of the Many –1 The Alucinor does not know, has never seen or has never met the subject –1 The Alucinor cannot see the subject when the power is used ••• Chain the Enslumbered Mind In medieval literature, victims of succubi often describe the sensation of paralysis combined with a malevolent female presence. Although modern psychology considers such night terrors to merely be a product of the mind on the edge of consciousness, the Alucinor can inflict this state on a sleeping victim. The Alucinor simply concentrates on the subject’s dreams and blends that fantasy into a subject’s reality. Executed properly, Chain the Enslumbered Mind allows a victim to be awake and aware, yet hampered by lingering sleep. This power can be inflicted only on a subject who is already sleeping and who was first detected through Dreams of the Many. Most Alucinor use this power while near a mortal victim, to keep the subject from resisting during feeding, but it can be used on anyone whose dreams can be sensed. Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Intelligence + Empathy + Insomnium versus subject’s Resolve + Blood Potency Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The Alucinor causes the subject to awaken immediately and he behaves normally. Vitae must still be spent for a vampire sleeper to awaken, as usual (although no Humanity roll is required; see Vampire, p. 184). A vampire in torpor does not awaken. Failure: The character loses or ties the contested roll. The Alucinor does not influence the subject’s sleep. A successive attempt may be possible with the expenditure of another Vitae. Success: The most successes are rolled for the Alucinor. The victim’s muscles grow sluggish and his mind slows, even as he struggles to wake up and act. A victim suffers a –1 penalty to all conscious actions (reflexive ones are not usually affected) for a number of hours equal to the successes gained on the power’s activation roll. This penalty applies as soon as the power is triggered, not based on when the subject rises. So, if it’s used early in an evening, the power could fade before a subject even wakes. Ideally, an Alucinor uses the power just before a subject would rise, or uses his connection through Dreams of the Many to awaken the subject just after Chain the Enslumbered Mind takes effect. Multiple applications of the power on the same subject are not cumulative. The effects of one application must pass before another can be performed. Extraordinary Success: The most successes — five or more — are rolled for the Alucinor. He causes the subject to be overwhelmed with sleep paralysis. The victim is physically immobile for a number of turns equal to the successes achieved on the activation roll. His Defense cannot be applied to any incoming attacks. Nor can he dodge. Once the initial period of paralysis passes, the victim remains groggy for hours, as per the results of a success. A paralyzed victim can use mental capabilities and powers, but they still suffer a –1 penalty. Suggested Modifiers Modifier Situation +2 Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (Vampire, p. 162) +1 An exceptional success was recently achieved in a previous use of Dreams of the Many –1 The Alucinor does not know, has never seen or has never met the subject –1 The Alucinor cannot see the subject when the power is used •••• Blissful Sleep As gatekeepers between the waking and sleeping worlds, and frequent travelers of both, the Alucinor have the capacity to ease that transition upon others. For mortals, this means a descent into rest and sleep. For vampires, this power brings forth the sluggishness of the day. Most Alucinor hum a quiet lullaby while evoking Blissful Sleep, but it’s not necessary. An Alucinor need only be able to physically see or touch a subject for this power to be used. Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion + Insomnium versus subject’s Resolve + Blood Potency Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The Alucinor not only fails to hypnotize the subject to sleep, he causes the subject’s subconscious mind to become wary to his tricks. The vampire cannot attempt this power again on the subject in the same night. Failure: The character loses or ties the contested roll. The Alucinor fails to make the subject drowsy, but a successive attempt may be possible with the expenditure of another Vitae. Success: The Alucinor influences the subject toward drowsiness. A mortal falls asleep and remains asleep for the remainder of the scene unless he suffers damage (the act of feeding does not wake the subject). When this power is used successfully against another vampire, dice-pool limitations apply as if it were daytime (dice pools cannot exceed Humanity dots; see Vampire, p. 184). These effects on another vampire last for the remainder of the scene. Vampires who do not suffer penalties for daylight activity (for any reason, be it a Merit, a power or a high Humanity) are immune to this power. The effects of this power are not cumulative with those of other Insomnium capabilities. So, Blissful Sleep and Chain the Enslumbered Mind cannot both apply to a vampire at the same time, for example. One power must run its course before another can be applied. Extraordinary Success: The most successes — five or more — are rolled for the Alucinor. A mortal victim remains asleep for a number of hours equal to the Sandman’s Insomnium dots, unless harmed in some way (again, feeding does not wake the victim). Another vampire’s Humanity dots are reduced by one to determine his dice pool limits for the remainder of the scene. So, a vampire with a Humanity of 6 is limited to dice pools of five. Suggested Modifiers Modifier Situation +2 Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (Vampire, p. 162) ••••• Travails of Morpheus Legend holds that if a sleeper fails to wake from a dream in which he dies, his body dies. This power makes that legend a reality. Once able to sense someone’s sleeping mind through Dreams of the Many, an Alucinor exerts sudden, terrifying and painful changes on the dream sequence. The sleeper may find that a soothing rainstorm becomes a hail of razors, or that a smoky room turns into an inescapable inferno. Every way the victim turns, the dream continues to twist in improbable fashion to horrify him. His own worst fears come forth to murder him. Fortunately for sleepers everywhere, the mind reflexively tries to wake when threatened in this fashion, but it is still an uncomfortable experience at best. Combined with another vampire’s torpor, this power can be a fearsome attack. Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge + Insomnium versus subject’s Composure + Blood Potency Action: Extended and contested; resistance is reflexive (a number of successes is required for each party equal to the opponent’s Willpower dots; each roll represents one turn) Roll Results Dramatic Failure: All of the Alucinor’s accumulated successes are lost and the power cannot be used again on the same subject until the next sunset. A dramatic failure rolled for the subject means the power succeeds automatically, regardless of how many successes the Alucinor has accumulated so far. Failure: No successes are accumulated at this time. Success: Successes are accumulated. When the required total is achieved first by the Alucinor, he causes the victim to suffer one Health point of bashing damage for each dot of Intelligence that he has. A subject can be victim to this power no more than once per night (for a mortal) or day (for a vampire). Extraordinary Success: A participant makes significant progress toward the total successes required. If five or more successes are gathered than the Alucinor needs, damage caused is lethal. An Alucinor who influences the dream of another is still aware of his own surroundings. If he performs an action aside from meddling in a dream, the connection to his subject is broken immediately. Suggested Modifiers Modifier Situation +2 Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (Vampire, p. 162) +1 An exceptional success was recently achieved in a previous use of Dreams of the Many –1 The Alucinor does not know, has never seen or has never met the subject –1 The Alucinor cannot see the subject when the power is used Devotions The following power is a capability evolved by the Alucinor bloodline. Indeed, abilities such as this arise among strains of that lineage, as only some members manifest the specific powers required to achieve these finely honed capabilities. Sleepwalker (Dominate ••, Insomnium •••) Kindred who practice the Dominate Discipline enjoy use of secret triggers that force victims to perform unusual behaviors. Combined with the Insomnium Discipline, such triggers work on the sleeping mind, being used to impose commands while a subject slumbers. Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Intelligence + Expression + Insomnium versus subject’s Resolve + Blood Potency Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive The Alucinor can impart a command for later use, as with the Mesmerize power of the Dominate Discipline, but causes it to occur while the subject is asleep. (Establishing the command requires eye contact as with other Dominate powers; it cannot be established while a subject sleeps.) The subject’s sleeping mind can obey only very simple tasks, so the order cannot be more complicated than a simple noun-verb combination such as “Get up and open the door” or “Unlock your window.” The trigger can be the moment the subject falls asleep, when the subject first dreams, or when the subject hears some outside noise, voice or speech (remaining asleep all while). The subject does not undertake any act that would be dangerous or fatal (such as a vampire going outside in daylight). Nor can a subject undertake complex actions that require intricate thought (such as assembling an item and mailing it, or hunting down a particular person and attacking him). This command may be overridden by normal uses of Mesmerize, and can potentially be unearthed with Telepathy. The subject has no memory of the command or of performing the required action. The activity is performed only once per application of this devotion, and no more than one trigger and command can apply to a subject at one time. If the power is applied to a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie, a +2 bonus is gained on the activation roll. This power costs 15 experience points to learn.